Are there any known issues with this generation Prelude?

What about the 4WS models? Are they prone to any other issues in particular?

Please mention certain trims, engines, etc. if applicable.

Thanks for any help.

 

I'm pretty sure there's only two trims, well, kinda.
The S Model and Si Model, then the Si 4WS Model.

You should try PreludePower.com, there a lot more knowledgeable people there for the 1st - 3rdGen Preludes.. This forum is mostly geared by 4th & 5thGen Knowledge...

 

This is the USDM trim level list according to Honda of America.

1988 2.0S
1988 2.0Si
1988 2.0Si 4WS

1989 2.0S
1989 2.0Si
1989 2.0Si 4WS

1990 2.05Si
1990 2.05Si 4WS
1990 2.05Si ABS
1990 2.0S
1990 2.0Si

1991 2.05Si
1991 2.05Si 4WS
1991 2.05Si ABS
1991 2.0Si

Thanks for the advice though.

 

For the most part. The models equiped with the b21a1 motor-Si-are notorious for burning oil.

You'll want to find a prelude with the b20a5 motor (2.0Si)

Havn't heard any issues with the 4-wheel steering. It's a mechanical system in contrast to other vehicles which are electrical.

 

Thanks for the advice. This is gold.

 

Thats really about it. The B21A1 burns oil due to the sleeves.

They say the mech 4WS feels unstable on freeway irregularities like bridge joints. Thats only opinion that i've heard.

 

i've never heard, nor experienced that. and i have a gutted rack with a little more play then most, so i really don't see that as an issue.

but otherwise, the only issue with this car is the B21 oil burning. otherwise its typical rust problem areas on pretty much any 20 year old car. but they're fantastic cars....IMO

 

^x2
a great combo though if you do get a 90-91 Si model with a b21, is to strip the motor down and put it back together using all the same original parts, but using a b20a5 block. which obviously would mean having the block bored/honed to match the 2mm larger pistons. then you get yourself the awesome torquey b21, but with steel cylinders and fresh internals, and will never need to worry about having an oil burning monster again.
the motors are beasts too. throw some mods and a tune at them, and they'll surprise everyone in almost every way

yup. due to the cylinders being FRM, same material as h-series blocks, but slightly different oem honing procedure and slightly different composition, and of course more miles lol.

as for the 4ws comment, that is totally bogus. thats only true if the car is in desperate need of a proper alignment

 

Well, went and looked at the first one today. '89 2.0Si. The engine had been swapped (B20A5 - I think that's the stock engine type anyway). The fan had been wired in to come on whenever the car was on.

There was a little tick, and a little white smoke, but I thought the smoke could be because it was early, cold and we'd just started the car up.

Then on the test drive there was hesitation, a high sound from the passenger front wheel area (not a thump), brakes weren't great, and finally when we got out of the car after the test drive there was that sicky sweet smell.

I passed.

Looks like I might end up with an Accord instead, but I prefer the Prelude.

 

the tick is probably the valve lash not being set correctly. easily fixable for free.

the white smoke may have been from the cold, or may have been from coolant. that sweet smell though im sure gave it away as coolant, so it was prob a good idea to pass if you dont feel like changing the headgasket lol

oh, and how could i forget, this thread is asking about common issues with 3g ludes:
the most common is what we like to call the "in-car shower", where the roof fills up with water when it rains, and when you hit the brakes you get a couple gallons of water all over ya haha.
the cause of this is that there are drain tubes in all 4 corners of the sunroof tray. the sunroof itsself was not designed to be completely water-tight, so they installed the drains. but over time, the rear drains can clog up with dust and debris from driving around with the sunroof open. the fix is to pull back the trunk liner on both sides, find the drain tubes that go down to the floor in each quarter panel, pull them out, clean the gunk out of the ends of the tubing, then put them back in place. and you'll have yourself a completely dry interior for another 10 years or so. or less if you live in a dusty area lol.
people that dont know about this tend to freak out and assume the sunroof is f'ed, which is of course not the case. just a heads up in case it ever happens to you while test driving a car.

 

+1 on that one!

Another one I remembered was--although not really an "issue", more like a pet-peeve--is that some ludes get an exhaust rattle around 1800-2000 rpm from the downpipe. That's an easy fix as well.


There's a list of common problems on prelude3g.com-along with the fixes to them.